


A Terrible Mistake

by Iamacarrot



Category: Rise of the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles (Cartoon 2018)
Genre: Angst, Flashbacks, Guilt, Hurt No Comfort
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-10-27
Updated: 2019-10-27
Packaged: 2021-01-04 19:14:03
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,266
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/21202661
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Iamacarrot/pseuds/Iamacarrot
Summary: A scenario in which the brothers were raised in the Hidden City:After Dale is mutated into a snake, he gets stuck with Mikey, who's been making his way to the Hidden City Mountains. Once they reach the area, Mikey recites a story that leaves Dale horrified.





	A Terrible Mistake

**Author's Note:**

> This is a Brother Bear-esque story, set near the part where Koda tells his story during the Salmon Run.
> 
> If this fic gets popular enough, I might turn it into a full blown story.

"Alright Mikey, here ya go. Tell your story."

"I can't. You caught the bird, you have to tell the story."

"I... do?"

"Yeah! Did you never play this game as a hatchling?"

Dale looked around nervously. The group of mutants around him waited expectantly, no sign of judgement on their faces whatsoever. This gave Dale a sense of security, and he sighed, closing his eyes before speaking.

"Fine. I'll tell a story," Dale started, "for the past few weeks, I have been under the Beck and Call of the tiniest, most _annoying_ creature I have met in my _entire existence_. He's been asking me questions and making rude comments about me since we've met, and I always find myself just about ready to bite him when he least expects it!"

Everyone silenced, shocked to hear such a thing.

"But... I guess there's nothing else to expect from a baby tag along." Dale fondly chuckled, using his tail to pet Mikey's head, bringing back the once calm and familial nature of the situation. "Now here. Tell your story."

Mikey gasped, catching the bird and humming. A quick chin tap was performed before Mikey took in a deep breath.

"Over the past few weeks I've been on a major journey to meet my brothers after an epic battle between them and monsters. Okay! Who's next?" Mikey asked.

"Whoa! Hold on there Mikey! You _know_ that we all have to hear _that_ story." an elder of the group chimed, earning excited agreements from everyone.

"I was hoping you'd say that!" Mikey cheered. "Now, where should I start...? Oh! I got it!"

Dale smirked, watching as Mikey stood up on a tall rock.

"It was perhaps the most starry night in my entire 13 year old life! My brothers had gone on patrol, and I followed them to see where they were going. After a few miles, I accidentally stepped on a twig, and my brothers saw me. They started freaking out, and Donnie was almost about to take me home.

"Before he could do that, though, Raph's pupils almost disappeared, and so did Donnie's and Leo's. I was pretty confused, so I sniffed the air, and what do you know, I smelled him! The Human!"

The group gasped in intrigue, save for Dale who merely smiled.

"It was then that Donnie pushed me into the bushes, telling me to stay low, and be real silent. I did, and I waited for a few seconds. It was at that point that I thought it was a false alarm, but then something crazy happened! Leo got shot in the arm with an arrow!" Mikey shouted, gripping his arm in an attempt to reenact the scene.

Those words led Dale to knit his nonexistent brows in concern, and his heart started to race.

"Leo removed the arrow immediately, and he joined Raph and Donnie as they tried to fight off the human! It was _crazy!_ That human was shooting arrows everywhere, yet my brothers still fought him off!"

Dale started to panic, pupils constricting as he thought back to his own perception of the fight.

"It wasn't long before Raph had the human pinned, and things looked dire for that human. I was so scared and proud of my big brothers! They had saved the day yet again! And I got so excited, that I ran out from the bushes to thank them!

"I was able to get two leaps out from the bushes, and then Donnie pushed me back, saving me from an arrow! I stumbled a little, and I saw more humans! A whole fleet of them! They were mean, scary, and really upset for some reason."

Dale gulped, thoughts traveling back to how he'd stabbed who he now knew was Raph. He had slashed the giant Turtle's left eye, leading Raph to back up, bumping into a few of Dale's acquaintances.

"Now, everyone knows that we reptiles have a special language that we use when we're in danger, so the humans didn't understand when Raph screamed. I did, though and it made me nearly jump out of my shell! I looked around to see what was happening, but a human slammed into me, knocking me down a hill!

"I rolled down, landing on my stomach real hard. I didn't stay down long, and I started climbing up! There was no way that I was going to let my brothers get hurt! I was going to save them!"

Oh no.

"I climbed and climbed, heart racing as I heard my brothers scaring the humans off! I was almost at the top, and I was so happy to see my brothers again! When I dug my claws into the dirt, I lifted myself up, laying down and panting before looking up.

"Here comes the plot twist, though... my brothers weren't there! I didn't know what to do! I looked and looked, behind trees, under rocks, next to the ducks, but nothing!"

Please no...

"Then I remembered something! My brothers promised to bring me here for the last day of summer before we brumated. Naturally, I decided to make my way here to meet them, and now I'm here! Now all I have to do is wait for them to show up!"

And there were the words that set Dale's fears in stone. It was at that moment that Dale looked at the fight from Mikey's perspective. And in a new light, he saw Donnie-

_"Stay here, and don't say thing. We'll tell you when it's all over."_

He saw Leo-

_"Just get out of here! What did we ever do to you?!"_

He saw Raph-

_"SHIT! Get Mikey out of here!"_

And, in his final minutes of guilt and horror, Dale saw the tiny, squeaking child that was Mikey-

_"Brothers? Where are you? I thought the fight was over!"_

Dale saw how Mikey must have felt-

_"Guys? Stop messing around! You're scaring me!"_

He saw the false relief Mikey felt when deciding to walk to the mountains on his own-

_"Maybe they're just getting a head start... yeah! That's it! They probably want me to meet them there!"_

He saw the misinformed hope in Mikey's eyes, how they had shined with oblivious happiness-

_"Don't you worry brothers! I'll see you soon!"_

And now, not only did Dale see an excited, hopeful teen-

_"You don't have to be scared, Dale! My brothers and father are ninjas, and they're teaching me to be one too!_

_"I know exactly what I'm doing! Donnie showed me how to tell which plants to use for medicine, food, and shelter!_

_"Leo's always there for me when I want to play. He's a great brother! Not only that, but... he's my most favorite..._

_"Raph is always telling me that I can't do stuff because of my age. But I'm perfectly capable of taking care of myself! I mean, I fought off those humans, didn't I?_

_"Why do you talk like that?_

_"Why do you slither like that?_

_"What reptile doesn't know how to speak in Reptongue?_

_"Why don't you have friends?_

_"Are we there yet?_

_"I just want to see my brothers again! I'm scared, and I miss them, and I just wanna tell them that I love them!"_

Dale saw that Mikey truly was just a child.

Dale saw that Mikey was just trying to find someone to gain comfort from.

Dale saw that Mikey was still holding on to the hope that his brothers would arrive...

And Dale saw an orphaned brother.

One who wouldn't be in such a status, were it for the human himself.

**Author's Note:**

> Dale literally only got one episode. I think we need more awkward and unrequited love between him and April.


End file.
